#panam2018

Pan-Am's, Euro's Wrap Sunday in Peru, Russia

By Tim Foley

LIMA (May 5) – United World Wrestling concludes a busy week of championship competition Sunday with the final day of wrestling at the Senior Pan-American and Senior European Championships in Lima and Kaspiysk, respectively.

The Pan-American Championships will host a full day of men’s freestyle wrestling competition with eight weight categories going start to finish, while the European Championships are slated for bronze and gold medal finals in their final five men’s freestyle categories.

The European finals are highlighted by the heavyweight showdown between 2016 Olympic champion Taha AKGUL (TUR) and 2017 world champion Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO). The 125kg finale will be a rematch of last year’s world finals won by Petriashvili, 10-8. Many wrestling fans consider the duo’s 2017 clash to be the greatest heavyweight wrestling match in history.
 

 

The Euro finals will also feature 2012 Olympic champion Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) facing 2016 Olympic champion Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS). Both won their titles at 86kg, but are now testing their strength at the new non-Olympic 92kg weight category.

Sunday’s European gold medal finals begin at 6pm local:

61kg: Beka LOMTADZE (GEO) vs. Gadzhimurad RASHIDOV (RUS)

74kg: Zelimkhan KHADJIEV (FRA) vs. Soner DEMIRTAS (TUR)

86kg: leksandr GOSTIYEV (AZE) vs. Artur NAIFONOV (RUS)

92kg: Sharif SHARIFOV (AZE) vs. Abdulrashid SADULAEV (RUS)

125kg: Geno PETRIASHVILI (GEO) vs. Taha AKGUL (TUR) 

 

The Pan-American Championships in Lima conclude Sunday with freestyle wrestling. Matches will be highlighted by a crop of top tier freestyle talent from powerhouse Cuba and defending world champion United States. Team USA will feature 2016 world champion Logan STIEBER (65kg), 2017 world silver medalist Thomas GILMAN (57kg) and 2017 world bronze medalist Nick GWIAZDOWSKI (125kg)

Wrestling in Lima begins at 10am CT

#BeachWrestling, #BeachWrestlingWorldSeries

With Dakar 2026 Approaching, UWW Ramps Up Beach Wrestling in Africa

By Vinay Siwach

CASABLANCA, Morocco (July 25) -- With Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games less than 500 days away, United World Wrestling is committed to reinforcing wrestling's presence on the African continent.

As a result, for the first time an African city will host the Beach Wrestling World Series. Casablanca, Morocco will see the third leg of the Beach Wrestling World Series from September 6-7, 2025, at the picturesque Ain Diab beach.

There is more in store for Africa. The final of the Beach Wrestling World Series will be held in Alexandria, Egypt on October 18 and 19, 2025.

UWW is calling for participants. REGISTER HERE!

Blessing OBORUDUDU (NGR)

The World Series participants will be provided with top-class facilities including five-star hotel boarding, food in hotels and transportation to the competition venue. The conditions will therefore be exceptional for a Beach Wrestling event.

Prior to the World Series, the African Championships in U15, U17 and U20 age-groups will also be held in the same venue on September 4 and 5. All wrestlers who are 18 years or older from the African Championships can take part in the World Series as well.

This is not the first time UWW has stepped up its commitment to Beach Wrestling. Along with UWW Africa, UWW provided technical assistance to African wrestlers last year and has now decided to continue that for the U15 and U17 groups.

UWW reminds all countries that the participation in these tournaments is important as the same wrestlers can be considered with priority for the Youth Olympic Games while allotting the decided quotas for Dakar 2026.

UWW's vision is to develop the younger groups who will be part of the Youth Olympics in Dakar. And it was a step in that direction to start U15 competitions in Beach Wrestling from 2025.

Irina RINGACI (MDA)World champion Irina RINGACI (MDA) competes in Beach Wrestling in Porec, Croatia. (Photo: United World Wrestling / Kostadin Andonov)

One of the outcomes of its continued efforts was the participation numbers in the U17 Pan-Am Beach Wrestling Championships in Rio de Janeiro and the U17 Asian Beach Wrestling Championships in Vietnam this year.

The local organizing committee in Rio had to add one more ring to accommodate the participants during the event. At the Asian Championships, India, China, Chinese Taipei, Vietnam and other nations participated with full teams.

Similarly, the wrestlers are encouraged to participate in the U17 and U20 World Beach Wrestling Championships in Katerini-Pieria, Greece on September 25 and 26.

Check out beachwrestling.org for all Beach Wrestling News!

UWW's decisions underscore its deep commitment to uplifting and expanding the sport of wrestling across Africa, particularly with the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar on the horizon.

For any queries, wrestlers, NFs or organizers can contact -- sports@uww.org.